Schmitt recently spoke to Action 7 News about walking on the moon and the future of space exploration.

It's the type of experience that's unforgettable. When Schmitt and his fellow Apollo 17 crew members set off for the moon, it was a moment frozen in time.

"Young men and woman make things happen, and they're dedicated to making it happen," Schmitt said.

Today, Schmitt credits a lot of the early success of NASA and the Apollo missions to a youthful drive and creativity that surrounded the agency at the time. It was also a time when the U.S. locked in a space battle with the Soviet Union.

"If you challenge America technologically, at least in those days, it would be a challenge that was met and done so successfully," Schmitt said.

Schmitt, who went on to become a U.S. Senator following his NASA mission, said the country needs to return and colonize the moon if mankind wants to truly explore Mars and deep space.

"I think it's a natural thing to want to go the next horizon. It's certainly very American," Schmitt said.

Schmitt said untapped potential energy sources like helium fusion could prove very valuable closer to home.

"Under the right financial circumstances, it can be used here on Earth for power, and clean electrical power," he said.

The former astronaut has been thinking that way since he snapped the famed "Blue Marble" photo on his way to the moon. It's still the most requested photo from the NASA archives.

"It's probably the best picture of a full Earth taken by human beings," Schmitt said.

Schmitt has enjoyed a successful career in the private sector since leaving the U.S. Senate in the early 1980s.